UPTONOGOOD CIDER LAUNCH BAGS A BRILLIANT SPONSOR

Upton Noble is gearing up for its second Uptonogood Cider launch on 15 April. Following a highly successful inaugural fixture last Easter, the event now boasts a new title sponsor in award-winning Batcombe pub The Three Horseshoes, while the popular Somerset Paddies will once again be providing the musical entertainment.

‘The Cider Launch is an exciting venture for a village that has lost its own pub,’ said Kav Javvi, landlord of The Three Horseshoes. ‘My own pub is all about good beer, good cider and good food and I’m delighted to be connecting with like-minded people in Upton Noble who have pressed their own great cider. We are the closest pub to the village and we’re all about community, buying local and being the hub. This venture is just the same, so we’re a perfect match.’

‘The combination of the Uptonogood Cider launch and The Three Horseshoes is a winning combination,’ said organiser Dan Hurring. ‘Kav has been a fantastic supporter of our village events, including our Beer Festival, since day one and we are incredibly grateful for his backing this time. We are really excited to be working together.’

The apples that have gone into making Uptonogood Cider this year were collected by more than 20 villagers one Sunday last October. The harvest was coordinated by Millwhite Cider’s John White, whose company has been involved in processing the apples, as in 2016.

‘We had a great turnout yet again from villagers, young and old, to help with the harvest,’ said John. ‘The enthusiasm was great to see, especially from the children who frantically climbed and shook the trees to maximise the number of apples we were able to collect.’

Kindly villagers donated apples from trees within their gardens and orchards, while this time Hents Hill Farm donated apples from their orchard too.

In total the apples collected enabled Millwhites to press 1,400 litres of juice, a significant increase on 2016’s 1,000 litres. The cider was then sent to Complete Bottling in Derbyshire, making around 2,600 bottles or 215 cases.

‘Hopefully this will mean that we build on the success of last year and are able to spread the good word about the cider and what it can achieve as a fundraiser for the village,’ continued John. ‘We will be able to offer the cider to a wider number of local outlets this time, which should bring more attention to the Beer Festival [1–2 September 2017].’

The Cider Launch, held on Easter Saturday, kicks off at 7pm at Upton Noble Village Hall. As well as the Somerset Paddies, there will be an eclectic DJ set from Bruton-based Poshratz, who plays at clubs and festivals across the UK.

Entry is £4 per person. Anyone wanting to buy a case of Uptonogood Cider will get one bottle free. Cases cost £27.50. Details from John White, email: sales@millwhites.co.uk, or Dan Hurring, email: dan@danhurring.com.